


Your Fault

by Jubilee44



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angie lives up to her namesake, Detention, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Prom, Protective Siblings, Rivalry, Slow Burn, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-17 17:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9334679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jubilee44/pseuds/Jubilee44
Summary: Theo and Philip compete for everything. They will stop at nothing until they succeed the most. That is until they both land the other in detention.





	1. Chapter 1

            Philip Hamilton was the bane of Theo Burr’s existence. Cocky, arrogant, aloof, Hamilton. The words were all synonymous as far as she was concerned.

            Theo Burr was everything Philip Hamilton hated. Know-it-all, snobby, haughty, Burr. He knew they meant the same thing.

            But from the first day of prestigious preschool, the two were stuck in the same class. It was an endless, thirteen-year competition from there on. Who could read chapter books first? Philip. Who could count to a hundred first? Theo. Who could recite the fifty states and their capitals without hesitation? Philip. Who could state the multiplication tables up to sixteen? Theo. Who won the spelling bee? Philip. Who broke the school records in track? Theo. Who won the poetry competition? Philip. Who achieved the highest honors grades? Theo. Who got a better SAT score? Philip. ACT? Theo. Who was president of their grade? Well, Theo was for freshmen and senior year; Philip had beat her out sophomore and junior year. Who was Valedictorian? That remained to be seen. They were only in October of their senior year at their high-end high school.

            It was a rivalry that even impressed Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The two had kept on their thirty-or-so year grudge. Mostly their children facing off at every academic and extracurricular opportunity fueled it. It was Alexander and Aaron who were at the sideline of every peewee soccer team game, prompting their children to take the ball from the other…even though they were on the same team. It was them who studied for hours with their children to have them exceed at the highest level. And it was them who went to the principal every time they sniffed out an injustice. Theo had cheated off of Philip on the French exam. Philip had purposefully interrupted Theo’s speech about the Civil War. Theo had tripped Philip during the track meet. Philip had plagiarized his _Great Gatsby_ essay from Theo’s very own work. It never ended and the principal of the high school was considering an early retirement.

            But now the pressure was on. It was their final year of war, senior year. Both were clawing to get the title of valedictorian. And both had made sure their applications to Columbia were the first one’s on admission’s desks. They were sure to give each other the cold shoulder unless it was an argument. They had daily glares in the hallway. And they always stretched their hands a little higher in classes they had together to make sure they were the first to be called on. To make a mistake in front of the other meant instant humiliation. All was typical until one Friday afternoon in the library, last period of the day.

            Philip was in a foul mood. They had received their calculus test grades and Theo beat him by a half a point. He was sitting in the library glaring at the missing negative sign that was put in by his teacher in red ink.

            His best friend, Georges, looked over in amusement. “It’s not the end of the world, man. I mean you’ve probably still got an A-plus in that class.” Funny enough, Georges was the complete opposite of Philip. He was content with his three-point-two GPA, his below average SAT score, and his comfortable pick of a state college out west. Any grade above a seventy didn’t really bother him. But he and Philip had gotten along well for a number of years. It was as if Philip kept Georges from flunking out of school and Georges kept Philip from going off the deep end if he got any grade below a ninety.

            “You should’ve seen her face, she looked so smug,” Philip grumbled. He glanced up to see Theo was sitting a few tables away with Frances and a few other girls from the track team. She looked content, as she knew she had bested Philip yet again.

            “Well, that’s a Burr for you.” Georges shrugged. “You’ll get her next time right?”

            Philip balled up the test in his hands into a perfect projectile. He looked up and in a split second of boyish mischief; he called out her name. “Hey, Theo.” When she looked over at him, he threw the paper ball right at her.

            Theo looked aghast when the harmless object hit her in the nose. “Philip Hamilton, you are an immature excuse for a human being.” She said a little too loudly.

            The study monitor looked up and hushed them both. They both went silent. On top of an above average intellect, they both also had a clean record. But a few minutes passed, and that wouldn’t be the case any longer.

            Philip was not about to let Theo get the last word. He grabbed his water bottle and stood up. Georges eyed him as he walked over to the table of girls. He uncapped the water and rested it right next to the paper Theo was working on. “Hey, just wondering something…” He tipped the bottle over right onto the papers.

            Theo let out a shriek and stood up to avoid getting spilled on. She watched as the water made the ink bleed into a mess of incoherent splotches. She was fuming. “Philip Hamilton you…you…” She looked at his gleeful face and went to smack the grin off of it. Literally.

            The monitor looked up right as Theo slapped him. “Hamilton, Burr!” She barked. “Detention!”

            The library went dead silent. Theo and Philip’s faces went pale. Detention…

            What would their fathers say?


	2. Chapter 2

 

            Monday was looming and neither Philip nor Theo had told their parents about their fate after school.

            Theo felt like she was backed into a corner. She couldn’t lie to her parents because that would be making the situation worse. But she wasn’t eager to tell them either. So Sunday night was her last chance to tell them.

            She felt sick to her stomach as she sat down at the dinner table. Theodosia and Aaron started some idle conversation about how the day went. After a while, Theo couldn’t hide for long.

            Her mother looked up at her. “You’ve been quiet, dear. Is everything okay?” She asked gently.

            Theo froze. She took a deep breath and stared at the table. “I got detention.”

            It was like the Burr’s house was crumbling around them. Aaron dropped his fork and Theodosia looked shocked.

            “Detention?” Her mother was the first to compose herself. “What for?”

            “It was all Philip Hamilton’s fault!” Theo exclaimed. He was antagonizing me. He-he spilled water all over my essay!”

            Aaron looked more convinced. It made sense to him. His daughter wouldn’t get in trouble; it must have been Hamilton’s fault. “I’ll call the school tomorrow, don’t worry about it.” He assured his daughter.

            “Well…I sort of, hit…him.” Theo winced and wrung her hands together in anxiety.

            Theodosia gasped. “You did what?”

            Aaron snorted and had to bite his tongue to hold back a laugh.

            His wife wasn’t having any of it, though. She was neutral when it came to the long-standing, multi-generational rivalry. She and Eliza Hamilton were actually good friends, going to each other’s garden parties and organizing school events together. They never had any reason to hate each other. “Theodosia Burr, that is unacceptable behavior.” She glared at her husband. “It’s _not_ funny.”

            Aaron cleared his throat. “Right…right. Theo that’s inappropriate, you shouldn’t hit someone. You’re better than that.”

            Theo looked miserable. “He always teases me…”

            “He’s just jealous of you,” Aaron said matter-of-factly.

            “So you’ll call the school…” Theo was taking her last chance of getting out of the detention.

            “Absolutely not,” Theodosia answered before her husband could. “You’re going to deal with the consequences of your actions.”

            Theo sighed in defeat. “Okay.”

 

            Philip waited until Sunday night so he wouldn’t get in trouble during the weekend. He had plans with a few friends and he did not want that ruined by his parents punishing him further.

            The Hamilton dinner table was a little more chaotic with seven kids ranging from seventeen to one. So Philip waited until his siblings were being put to bed for the night.

            Philip went downstairs where Eliza and Alexander were watching a movie together. “Mom pops…can I talk to you about something?”

            “Of course.” Eliza smiled and went to pause the movie.

            “What’s on your mind?” Alexander asked.

            “I have to stay after school tomorrow.” Philip skirted around the subject as best he could.

            “That’s alright. Are you meeting with one of your teachers about something?” Eliza asked. It was typical for her son to stay after. Not for detention, though.

            “Uh…no, I got detention actually,” Philip mumbled.

            His parents stared at him for a moment. “Excuse me?” Alexander raised an eyebrow.

            “Philip…”

            He hated his mother’s disappointed look. It killed him. “It wasn’t my fault. It was all because of Theo Burr,” He grumbled.

            Alexander nodded. “Sounds plausible to me. I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

            “Alex, stop. What did you two do?” Eliza wasn’t so keen to accept that the sweet daughter of her friend was the troublemaker.

            “She…well…I spilled water on her paper. Then she slapped me,” Philip shoved a hand in his pocket.

            “She hit you?” Alexander looked appalled. “She needs to be suspended for that. That’s…”

            “Hush,” Eliza ordered him. “Why did you spill water on her paper?” She asked.

            “Because I dunno. I was just mad I guess.” Philip wanted to run from the uncomfortable situation.

            “This thing between you two has got to end. It’s yours and Aaron’s fault,” Eliza scolded. “You’ve been goading them on since they could walk. You two need to learn to play nice and I think you’ll have plenty of time to do that in detention tomorrow.”

            “Mom…” Philip pulled out his puppy dog eyes and nearly got on his knees to plead.

            “No, I’ve had it. You’ll be going to detention and that’s final.”


	3. Chapter 3

            The detention room was nearly empty aside from another boy when Theo walked in. She was an emotional wreck. What if Columbia noticed the blemish on her record? What if they denied her? Her rational side knew it wasn’t probable, but her irrational side wasn’t listening. She was in panic mode and her brain tended to over exaggerate things.

            Theo sat at the front of the classroom and put her head in her hands. She wanted to disappear. It got even worse when she heard someone else walk in and sit a few seats to her left. She looked up and felt anger bubble up in her throat when she saw Philip. She turned away from him and they gladly ignored each other.

            The teacher walked in and sat down. “You guys can do your homework, no talking, no cell phone use, no exceptions,” She said before turning to her book.

            Theo was grateful to actually do something and took out her homework for the night. She tried not to think about getting into trouble as she lost herself in the numbers on the page. Halfway into a grueling calculus packet, the teacher stepped out.

            The other student got up and casually plopped down on the desk next to Theo. She glanced up and recognized him as the junior who was in her English class. She also recalled he was a troublemaker. Hence, it was no surprise to see him there.

            “I never thought I’d see Theo Burr in detention. What happened sweetheart? Did you get a bad grade and try to strangle someone?” The boy gave her a sarcastic pout.

            “Just leave me alone, I’m working,” Theo replied and turned her head a bit to ignore him. She just needed to get through her time. She wasn't going to cause a disturbance.

            “I’m just reveling in the phenomenon of a girl like you in detention. What, did you volunteer or something? Want to see what detention was like?” He sneered.

            Theo bit her tongue. She didn’t want to get in any more trouble than she was already in. She just tried to focus on her math problems. It was hard to ignore him, though.

            “You’re not going to even acknowledge me? Wow, I knew you were stuck up but I didn’t know you were that bad. Just give a guy a break, Thee, I'm trying to be polite.”

            Out of nowhere, Philip stood up and walked over to them. “Move.” He stood over the junior’s desk with a deadly serious look.

            “Oh great, now the great Hamilton is going to lecture me. Look, the lady and I are having a conversation, you can sit down.”

            “I said move. You’re bothering her; she doesn’t want to hear it because she’s busy. Move before I make you.” Philip took on a fierce tone.

            “You're going to make me? And how are you going to do that, exactly? You’re going to tell the teacher on me?” The kid smirked at him and then waved a hand in his direction. “Move along, Shakespeare, you’re way out of your league.”

            Theo jumped when Philip slammed a hand down on the desk next to her. “Get out of that fucking desk and go to the back. Don’t say another word to her. Don’t even look at her. Move.”

            The motion seemed to be enough to spook the junior. He got up, still trying to keep his cool, and went to the back of the classroom. Once Philip was satisfied, he went to sit back down too. He didn’t say a word to Theo and just went back to his homework.

            Theo couldn’t wipe the shock off her face. Did Philip Hamilton just defend her honor? The Philip Hamilton that spilled water on her essay? Theo wasn’t sure if it had really happened because she couldn’t fathom why he would stand up for her.

 

            After detention was over, Theo jogged to catch up to Philip as he was walking outside. “Why did you do that?” She asked.

            Philip knew what she was talking about. There hadn’t been any more interactions in the room. “He was bugging me too. I was working and wanted him to shut up. I can't stand that kid's voice.” He grimaced. 

            “Liar, you stood up for me,” She insisted. “Why would you do something like that?”

            “Because he was being disrespectful,” Philip opened the school door and they both walked out to the student parking lot. “I thought that was pretty obvious.”

            “You’re not disrespectful to me every single day?” Theo raised an eyebrow at him.

            “Theo, I respect you. You’re smart and gifted in a lot of things. It doesn’t mean I can’t mess with you every once in a while. We've known each other for ages, call it a tumultuous relationship.” He glanced over at her.

            “Mess with me?” Theo snorted. “You ruined my paper, asshole, I had to rewrite everything. You're lucky I make thorough outlines.” She made a face at him. 

            Philip grinned sheepishly. “You hit me I think that was enough of revenge for you,” He retorted. "It hurt, by the way." 

            “Yeah, well we both got what we deserved I guess. This isn’t going to be a habit, though. I’m never spending another detention here again,” Theo swore. “So don’t even try to get me in trouble again, Hamilton.”

            “Oh Burr, I know that if I try you’ll only bring me down with you.” Philip winked and went to his car.

            Theo rolled her eyes. “Stupid boy,” She mumbled under her breath. But she couldn’t stop smiling as she got into her car.


	4. Chapter 4

            The next day, Theo and Philip had calculus together. It was strange between them; it was like they were in a cease-fire. Neither glared at each other or made any smart remarks. But it was only first period so that was subject to change.

            That is, until the teacher got a call in the middle of class. He looked up, a bit confused, at Philip and Theo. “Burr, Hamilton, you were called down to the front office.”

            It seemed like the entire class turned in their seats to look at the culprits. Theo and Philip glanced at each other but neither seemed to have an answer. They both stood up and walked out of the class.

            “What did you do?” Theo hissed as they made the trip to the office.

            “What did _I_ do? I didn’t do anything!” Philip replied. “Why do you assume it was me?”

            “Because I didn’t do anything either.” Theo started to look a little nervous.

            The walked in and the secretary ushered them into the vice principal’s office. They sat down, expecting the worst.

            “I understand you two were in detention yesterday afternoon?”

            “Yes sir,” They both responded. It seemed like their fathers agreed on one thing, being polite to authority figures.

            “I was alerted that a junior in the same detention was physically intimidated.”

            Philip cleared his throat. “It was only because he was bothering us, sir.” He answered immediately.

            “Bullying tactics won’t be tolerated in this school, Mr. Hamilton, you should know that. You’re going to stay after again today. Miss Burr, you may go back to class.” The man nodded in her direction.

            Theo didn’t budge. “But…Philip didn’t do anything wrong,” She responded. Normally she would never talk back to a teacher, let alone a principal. But she knew it was unjust and she wasn’t about to let that slide right in front of her.

            “Miss Burr, this doesn’t concern you, go back to class.”

            “He was trying to protect me, he wasn’t bullying anyone!” Theo raised her voice.

            “Theo, it’s fine, let it go,” Philip whispered to her.

            “Miss Burr,” The principal gave her a look, “please return to class.”

            “If you give him detention, you’ll have to give me detention too.” Theo held her head high.

            The principal sighed. “Very well, you both have detention this afternoon, satisfied?”

            “Yes,” Theo answered and then she realized what she’d done. Her father was going to have a fit.

 

            “Why in the hell did you do that?” Philip demanded as they walked out of the office.

            “Think of it as advocating for your rights.” Theo shrugged. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I was sitting right there. I’m not going to let you get in trouble for something you didn’t do.”

            “Okay, a few days ago you would’ve laughed if I got in trouble for something I didn’t do,” Philip reminded her. “What happened to that Theo?”

            “Well,” She sighed. “It’s not like we’re five-years-old anymore, Philip. You showed me some respect yesterday and I’m returning it to you today. Now we’re even.”

            “So things are going back to normal after this?” Philip raised an eyebrow at her. They stopped in front of the classroom together.

            “Not necessarily. I can be cordial if you can.” Theo looked at him. She never realized how much he’d grown over the years. She had to literally look up at him to see his eyes.

            “Alright…” Philip looked a little uncomfortable. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to slack off.”

            “I didn’t say that.” Theo smiled and went into the class without an explanation.

            Philip stood there for a moment, a little dumbfounded.

            “Mr. Hamilton, care to join us?” His calculus teacher gave him an impatient look.

            “Oh, yes sir, sorry.” Philip went back to his seat. He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. He was seriously wondering if a clone or a twin had swapped out the real Theo. He had never had two decent conversations with her two days in a row. It was unheard of. Well, he’d never had two days of detention either. Philip sighed and tried not to think about his father’s wrath when he got home.


	5. Chapter 5

            Philip was grounded for the weekend when his parents found out about the second detention. According to Alexander he was a ‘disgrace to the Hamilton name’. Philip knew it was only temporary, but he hated being the one in trouble. Normally it was his younger siblings who were in time out, not him.

            “Can you sneak out?” Georges asked. “I need my wingman tonight.”

            Philip balanced his phone between his ear and shoulder as he turned on his computer. “No, you know how my dad is he’s like a hawk. Plus I can’t disappoint my mom again.”

            “Did you and Theo talk more?” Georges asked curiously.

            “No, she was busy with homework. I didn’t really have anything to talk to her about anyways.”

            “Really? Not, ‘why did you get detention for me’?”

            Philip sighed and tilted his chair back. “I already asked her that. She just said she was sticking up against injustice, something like that. She’s really righteous like that, you know her.”

            “Weird. Well, I’m sure you two will be back to normal in no time.”

            “Yeah, probably.” Philip pulled up his school email to see if he had any homework he had forgotten to write down.

            “Well, if you decide to sneak out later let me know,” Georges said.

            “Yeah, probably not.” Philip’s voice faded when he saw a chat box pop up in the right hand corner of his screen. Theo’s name read across the top banner. “Have fun though, don’t get in trouble.”

            “I’ll try to.” Georges laughed. “See you Monday.” He said and hung up.

           

            Theo Burr: Did you write down what pages we needed to read in English?

           

            Philip paused. She never came to him about anything, schoolwork or not. He glanced over at his planner and typed out the reply. He wasn’t going to ignore a simple request.

 

            Philip Hamilton: 20-34, it’s not due until Wednesday though.

            Theo Burr: Great, thanks

            Theo Burr: Grounded too?

           

            Philip couldn’t help but smile. Their fathers were always at each other’s throats but the two men were very similar in many ways. Intolerance for getting in trouble was a shared trait.

           

            Philip Hamilton: Oh yeah. Pops wasn’t happy about the back-to-back detention.

            Theo Burr: My dad wasn’t either. He said I tarnished the Burr name.

            Philip Hamilton: At least you didn’t disgrace the Hamilton name, that’s an act worst than murder.

            Theo Burr: Oh really? Do you have to listen to a long lecture about your grandfather and how he would be rolling in his grave?

            Philip Hamilton: Touché.

            Theo Hamilton: Let’s sneak out.

 

            Philip wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up from this bizarre dream soon or not. What in the hell was going on in his life? Suddenly his long time rival was sticking up for him, making idle conversation, and now wanted to get in trouble together. His jaw hung open slightly as his fingers hovered over the keyboard. He had no idea what to say. Why would she want to sneak out with him? Unless it was his father on the computer planning to catch him in the act. But then again he would never pose as a Burr, which was too below Alexander.

            Philip Hamilton: What did you have in mind?

            Theo Burr: I don't know. I just want to be outside.

            Philip Hamilton: And you want me to go along?

            Theo Burr: Sure

 

            Suddenly, he and Theo were friends. Friends? Was that even possible? Philip wasn’t so overdramatic like his father. Or, he wasn’t as bad as his father. But he was pretty convinced that he and Theo were just too different. Wait. No they weren’t. They were both straight A, extracurricular junkies who practically wrote their college application to Colombia with their blood and tears. They both had overbearing fathers who would kill to make sure their children succeeded. They weren’t different at all.

 

            Philip Hamilton: Yeah, I’ll meet you at the end of my street.


	6. Chapter 6

            Once all the lights were out in the Hamilton house and all the kids were settled down for the night, Philip crept downstairs and out the front door. It was easier than he thought. He assumed his father assumed he didn’t have anywhere to go. It was strange that Theo had changed his plans. Not even Georges could persuade him to sneak out, but one question from Theo, and he was out. He pulled his sweatshirt on as he hurried down the length of a few houses. Once he felt he was in the clear, he walked calmly down to the street sign. Theo was already there, waiting for him like she said she would be.

            “Why did you want to sneak out? I never took you for the rebellious type,” Philip said.

            “Neither are you.” Theo shrugged. “I just wanted to walk.”

            “Okay, I’ll walk with you.” Philip put his hands in his pockets and started down the road.

            Some of the large houses on the road were still lit up despite the time of night. They were quiet for a few moments. Philip listened to Theo’s soft breathing and gentle footsteps. It was all so confusing to him. It was like he was in a dream. He was walking side by side with Theo after sneaking out.

            “Maybe my dad is right.” Theo broke the silence.

            “About what?” He looked over at her. “Because my dad says he’s right about everything.”

            Theo laughed and nodded. “Yeah, mine too. But I think he’s right about you being a bad influence on me.”

            “Me? What about you?”

            “Well we both got each other in detention and then got ourselves in detention the second time, and then we snuck out.”

            “You lured me out here.”

            “Lured you?”

            Philip chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s right. Lured me. My dad would believe that excuse.” He glanced down at his feet. He noticed Theo’s blue and white sneakers that she usually wore for cross-country. How he made the connection, he had no idea. Maybe he focused on her too much during track.

            “Well, whatever happened, that’s my point. We’re bad influences on each other.” Theo concluded.

            “I could see that.” Philip nodded. “But you don’t seem too concerned about it.” He noted and looked over at her again.

            “I guess it’s not the worst thing. I mean we’ve been fighting each other for the best grade or top prize for years. Maybe we deserve a break.”

            Theo’s hair looked wet like she’d taken a shower before she snuck out. Philip wasn’t sure he’d seen her hair like that before. It was normally dried and in a bun or down in somewhat tamed curls. She didn’t look like she was wearing makeup either. Philip didn’t know if he ever noticed if she wore makeup on a daily base. Now he could tell slight freckles sprinkled over her nose and under her eyes. She looked tired, more tired than usual. She must’ve usually covered up any dark circles she had.

            “Why do you cover up your freckles?” Philip asked.

            Theo looked over at him. She seemed confused but it wasn't genuine. “I don’t have freckles.”

            “Yes, you do.” Philip pointed to her face. “I mean they’re not that obvious but I can still see them.”

            Theo ducked her head. “Why are you looking at me that close?” She accused. “I don’t say anything about your freckles.”

            “You used to. Remember in third grade you called me Philip Freckles?” He smiled at the memory.

            Theo blushed. “Oh yeah…”

            “Well, I think they’re pretty.”

            They immediately went quiet again as the words hung in the air. It had gone up a level of strangeness. They hardly ever complimented each other. It was almost a sign of weakness, in their eyes. But now Philip had jumped a few rungs of the compliment ladder.

            “What?” Theo still couldn’t process what he had just said.

            “I uh…” Philip wasn’t sure how to save himself from the blunder. “I was just saying…freckles are nice. I mean I like mine.” He swallowed. “So…I think they’re pretty on people and you and uh…”

            Theo felt like she was going to be sick. “Thank you.” She said but her voice was stiff and unnatural. “So…I probably shouldn’t keep you out this late, I'm sorry I suggested it.”

            “It's fine, don't worry about it. Do you need me to walk you home?” Philip offered.

            “No, I’m good, thanks.” Theo cleared her throat and went to pick up the pace so he wouldn't follow her and try to convince her more. 

            “Theo…” Philip felt like he’d done something wrong by how she was acting. He thought the compliment was okay but it didn’t seem that way.

            She didn’t answer and practically ran back home. She slipped back inside and went up to her room. She was breathing hard, not from the trip back home. She was a track runner and the distance wasn’t far at all. She was out of breath because of what had just happened with Philip. He had just called her pretty. He said her greatest flaw on her face was pretty. What she saw as blemishes, he saw as pretty. He called her pretty. 

            Theo flopped on her bed and burst into tears.


	7. Chapter 7

            _Hey so what happened last..._

_So I was wondering if…_

_Are you okay…_

_Did I do something wrong…_

_I’m sorry if…_

            Philip continued deleting all of the messages. He groaned and let himself flop over his keyboard. “I’m such an idiot.” He grumbled.

            “Aw it’s so good that you’re accepting that.”

            Philip looked up to see Angie in the doorway. “Go away, I wasn’t talking to you.”

            “No, you were talking out loud to yourself. I’d say that’s up for public debate.” Angie said and waltzed into his room. She plopped down on his bed and looked over at him.

            “What do you want?” Philip glared at her. He wasn’t in the mood to be bothered by his baby sister.

            “I was here to extort you but you look too sad. What kind of sister am I to do that while you’re already down?” Angie shrugged.

            “Extort me?”

            “I saw someone sneaking out last night.” She sang and smirked.

            “Shit.” Philip groaned and started to prepare himself to beg on his knees. “Please don’t tell mom and dad.”

            “I won’t, if you tell me what you were doing. As long as you weren’t doing drugs. Even though I doubt you even know how to get drugs.” Angie grinned and rolled her eyes. “You’re such a nerd, I’m surprised you actually went out while you were grounded.”

            “Theo needed to talk, I wasn’t doing anything bad.” Philip realized that he was in no danger of his sister telling on him.

            “Theo? As in Theo Burr? Well under Hamilton law I think that qualifies as doing something bad. Thou shalt not fool around with a Burr.”

            Philip shut his laptop and stood up. “We weren’t fooling around. We’re not even friends.” But he hesitated for a moment. Were they friends? He still wasn’t sure what he did wrong but he hoped that it meant things wouldn’t go back to normal. He wasn’t sure he would have the heart to compete against her again.

            “Mhm, well the way I see it you are.” Angie said. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean unless you like be grounded for the rest of your life. Because dad will flip if he finds out.”

            “He’s not going to find out, because I’ll tell him about the time you put a dent in his car playing softball.” Philip had almost forgotten he had dirt on his sister.

            Angie narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “I guess we understand each other then.”

            “I guess we do.”

            She stood up. “Very well, we’ll both keep our mouths shut. But you better be careful with Theo, that’s a slippery slope.”

           

            “Why are you staring at Philip?”

            Theo snapped back into attention and shook her head. She looked over at Frances. “I’m not staring at him, I’m just zoning out.” She shut her notebook.

            “You were definitely staring.”

            “Shut up, Frankie.” Theo stood up and stuffed her things into her backpack. “I’m going to take a walk, don’t wait up.” She threw her bag on her shoulder and walked out of the library. She didn’t notice Philip getting up at the same time and trying to catch up with her.

            “You left pretty quickly, something wrong?”

            Theo sighed under her breath when she saw Philip walking by her side. “Don’t stand too close to me, people might get the wrong idea.” She stopped walking.

            “Sorry.” Philip stepped back. “I just…I wanted to see if everything’s okay.”

            Theo could hardly look in his eyes. “I’m fine, you can leave now.”

            That wasn’t good enough for him. He could tell something was really bothering her. “If it’s about that night we don’t have to talk about it again.”

            “Then why are you bringing it up?” Theo snapped and looked up at him.

            “Because you kind of just ran off. I don’t know what I did.”

            Theo hated how sweet and concerned he looked. “I just…I just did. You don’t have to worry about it.”

            “Is it because I said something about your freckles?” Philip noticed that her makeup covered them up again.

            Theo looked down at her feet. “I don’t understand why you would say that.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Why would you compliment me? It’s not like we’re friends or dating or anything.” Theo said feeling flustered.

            “I don’t know, I wasn’t really thinking. I just noticed them and I…” Philip didn’t want to make her uncomfortable again. “I’m sorry.”

            “So it didn’t mean anything?”

            “No…it just came out. I’m sorry.” Philip said again. He put his hands in his pockets. “I have to go back to the library, see you later.” He mumbled and started to walk away.

            Theo hated the way she longed for him to turn around and come back to her.


	8. Chapter 8

            “So are you two dating?”

            Philip groaned when he heard his sister walk, uninvited, into his room. “When did knocking go out of style?”

            “When you became the older brother to six siblings.” Angie answered and leaned against the doorframe. “So, are you going to answer my question or is answering questions out of style?”

            “One of these days…” Philip muttered. “No, we’re not dating.” He replied. “So quit bringing it up.”

            “I would but it’s just so fascinating to me. You two _hated_ each other. And now suddenly you’re fawning after her like there’s no other girls on the face of the planet.”

            “I’m not fawning after her. I just don’t think we have to be cruel to each other anymore.” Philip said as he went back to his English homework. “Now can you please leave?”

            “I’ll leave when you make your move.”

            “Make my move?” Philip turned to give his sister a look. “For God’s sake, Angie, it’s not going to happen. She barely tolerates me and even if she did like me, dad would have a heart attack if I ever dated her. You and I both know that.”

            “You’re no fun.” Angie pouted. “For once in my life, I want to be a part of a drama!”

            “Then go start your own drama.” Philip answered grumpily.

            “No, I don’t want to be in the middle of it, I want to be like…the supporting actress.”

            “Then go do another drama production.” He rolled his eyes.

            “I will and I am. We’re doing Macbeth, remember, dimwit? You’re supposed to go see it next weekend.” Angie put her hands on her hips.

            “Yeah, yeah, I’m going to bed soon, so scram.” Philip shooed her away. His mind was racing. He stood up and shut his bedroom door after Angie left. _Shakespeare._ He rolled his eyes. He hated Shakespeare, always did. Freshman year, he and Theo had been paired together to act out Taming of the Shrew. It was a well casted scene, as the hatred of Petruchio and Caterina was not faked between the two of them. Eventually the English teacher had to break them up before they went off script and just went to their usual insults. He grabbed his phone and looked up something before he waited for the house to go silent.

 

            Theo was downstairs getting a drink of water when she saw a shadow pass over her backyard. She jumped as she thought it was an intruder. She crept towards the window and rolled her eyes when she saw it was just Philip. Curious as to what he was doing, she stood by and watched.

            He picked up a few stones and started to toss them at the second story window.

            “Such an idiot,” Theo grumbled as she went out to stop him before he woke up her dad. “What are you doing?” She hissed when she walked out onto the back patio.

            Philip spooked a little bit. “Oh uh…” He calmed down when he was assured it wasn’t Mr. Burr. He cleared his throat. “But soft, what light though yonder window breaks. It is the east and Juliet is the…”

            “Are you seriously quoting Shakespeare in my backyard at one in the morning?” Theo snapped.

            Philip’s face went bright red. “It would’ve been better if you were upstairs.” He said.

            Theo rolled her eyes and closed the back door. “C’mon, my dad’s a light sleeper.” She said and gestured for him to walk with her. They went along a small trail in the woods behind her house.

            “Sorry, I just…I wanted to talk to you and Angie mentioned Shakespeare. I think I just shouldn’t think this late at night.”

            Theo couldn’t help but laugh. “It was a noble gesture, but you’re right, it lost some of its oomph. I thought you hated Shakespeare anyways.”

            “I do.” Philip made a face at the small piece of paper he’d written part of the monologue down on. “I mean this guy’s creeping on this girl that he just met? Lame.” He stuffed the paper in his pocket.

            “I would say you did the same thing but we’ve known each other for a long time.”

            “Super long time, like I’ve known you longer than most of my siblings.” Philip said. “And I guess that’s part of my point. You’re…you’re a big part of my life. At first I thought that was a bad thing but I owe a lot of success to you.”            

            Theo gave him a confused look. “Are you serious? I stole like five academic achievements from you.”

            “Four, and that’s my point. You drove me to want to succeed. I guess in a way it was a little bit unhealthy but we both did well. If I didn’t have you in my life I don’t think I would’ve pushed myself as hard as I did.”

            “That was mostly our dads’ faults though.” Theo said.

            “Partly, but it was really just us.” Philip stopped to look at her. “You make me want to be better but I don’t hate you. I don’t think I ever really _hated_ you. I just…envied you.”

            “Envied me?” Theo looked incredulous. “I should’ve recorded this conversation. The great Philip Hamilton envies me.”

            Philip smiled sheepishly. “Well it’s true. And look how close we really are. We’re both super smart, we like the same extracurricular activities, in another universe I think we would’ve been really good friends.”

            Theo paused. “I-I guess you’re right.” She nodded. “Why do you bring that up though?” She asked.

            “Because…in the last few days I’ve seen a different side of you. Or…maybe I’ve just changed. I see someone that I really enjoy being around. When we were out that night, I felt more comfortable with you than any of my other friends. That’s why I told you I thought you were beautiful.”

            Theo stomach seemed to burst with butterflies. “You didn’t say that…”

            “I meant to.”

            “Philip…” It was a rare moment in her life, one of the times she was absolutely speechless. So she did what she thought most romantics would do. If you couldn’t think of words, you had the characters kiss. So she did. Theo Burr kissed Philip Hamilton.


	9. Chapter 9

            Philip was in a dazed state for the rest of the night and the next morning.

            “Pip!” James snapped at his brother as he drowned his pancakes in syrup. “You’re hogging the syrup!”

            Philip looked down. “Oh…sorry.” He gave the bottle to his brother.

            “What has gotten into you, darling?” Eliza asked as she fed one-year-old Liza. “You’ve been in dreamland all morning.”

            “Yeah Pip, what’s gotten into you?” Angie smirked and raised an eyebrow at him.

            Philip rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry, I’m just…excited for the day.” He was telling the truth although he was leaving out the part when he kissed Theo.

 

            Theo was in the same type of mindset, totally dazed and unaware of the world around her. She could only keep replaying the moment when they kissed.

            “Theo!” Frances jumped to the side to avoid her friend’s phone falling on her foot. “What is wrong with you? That’s the fourth thing you’ve dropped since you’ve gotten here.”

            Theo blinked a few times and bent down to pick up her phone. She checked it for cracks but deemed it was okay. “Sorry, I’m sort of out of it today.”

            “Yeah, I sort of noticed.” Frances said sarcastically. “What happened? Are you feeling okay?” She mocked checking her friend’s temperature.

            Theo giggled and batted her hand away. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” She said and finished putting her stuff away in her locker.

            “Are you sure?” Frances looked suspicious. “You seem to have Disneyitis.” Her friend frowned. “Just tell me what it is.”

            “I can’t…yet.” She said and looked down the hallway. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a familiar head of curls. “I’ll see you later, Frankie.” She said and ducked into the hallway crowd.

            Philip glanced over when she saw Theo fall into step with him. “You look well rested.”

            “Despite someone who tried playing Shakespeare with me last night.”

            “Again, it would’ve worked if you were upstairs.”

            Theo giggled and looked away. “C’mere.” She waved him over.

            Philip leaned in to kiss her but she turned away and disappeared into the crowd again. He followed her to a quieter branch of the hallway. They found a small alcove and Theo pulled him closed by his hand. She pressed up against the wall so he could get as close as possible.

            Philip’s teenage hormones were telling him to jump the gun and kiss her, but the poet inside of him waited. He studied her face; her dark eyes were entrancing and pulled him in even closer.

            The bell interrupted them for a split moment.

            “We have to go,” Philip reminded her.

            “For the first time, I don’t care. You’re a bad influence on me, Hamilton.” Theo wrapped her arms around his neck and got on her tiptoes a little to kiss him. Her heart beat faster and she felt like she was walking on the edge. For the first time in her life she was disregarding the rules and realized she didn’t care about the consequences.

            Philip rested her hands on her hips. His arms covered in goose bumps and he felt a shiver go down his spine. He didn’t know a girl could bring him such a feeling of bliss. It was surreal.

            “Holy…shit.”

            Philip and Theo separated and looked over. Georges and Frances were standing side by side with equally stunned looks on their faces.

            “I can’t say I’m surprised…you two have had sexual tension building up since you reached puberty.” Georges said.

            “Theo, what the hell happened?” Frances looked a little more shocked. “Why are you-what-how?” She couldn’t grasp onto any scenario that would cause Theo to fall for her rival.

            “It’s…” Theo looked up at Philip.

            “We weren’t…” Philip didn’t know what to say either.

            “Look, I don’t really care how it happened I just want to know what your dads think.” Georges said, fully aware of how Alexander and Aaron were constantly at each other’s throats.

            “They don’t know yet.” Philip answered. “So please don’t say anything to anyone.”

            “Well if you’re making out in the hallway, some people are going to catch on.” Frances said sarcastically. “Theo, you aren’t going through a mid-life crisis are you?”

            “Mid-life crisis?” Theo looked confused. “No, Frankie…”

            “Because if you want to do something rebellious, go get a fake tattoo or a piercing.” She gave her friend a concerned look.

            “It’s not a rebellious thing. I think we really…” Theo’s face turned bright red. “I really enjoy having him around when we’re not arguing about something dumb.”

            “Mhm.” Frances narrowed her eyes at Philip. “We have history.” She said to Theo.

            “Right, of course.” She moved away from him and started walking down the hall.

            Frances waited a moment and grabbed Philip by the collar of his shirt. “Listen up, Hamilton.” She snarled. “If you so much as lay a finger on her or break her heart I will personally make sure you don’t make it to graduation.” She threatened protectively.

            Philip looked a little scared. He had never been intimidated like she did before. “Ever thought of joining the mob, Frankie?” He asked.

            Frances smiled humorlessly. “Cute, you keep your sense of humor it suits you.” She snapped and let him go. “I’m serious. Both of you.” She pointed at Georges too.

            “I love you, Franks.” Georges smiled as she walked away. “Sheesh, talk about overprotective about friends.”

            “When are you going to give Theo your BFF talk?” Philip chuckled.

            “When I see her next, don’t you worry. I won’t let her hurt you.” Georges clapped his friend on the back. “You’re crazy, man. If Frances doesn’t get your, your dad will or more possibly, Mr. Burr.”

            “Yeah, I know. I can handle it. I really think I like her.” Philip couldn’t get the goofy grin off his face as they walked to class.


	10. Chapter 10

            “So Clinton was the general on the British side. That’s Battle of Monmouth that’s when…Philip, will you please stop staring at me.” Theo looked up from her history book and glared at him.

            Philip grinned and scraped his feet through the mulch under the swing set. “Sorry, you’re just really cute when you talk about history.”

            Theo rolled her eyes. “Yeah and I’ll be really cute when I ace this test and you fail.”

            “C’mon, it’s not like I don’t know this story by heart. My dad was basically there. He practically wrote the history books in that era.” Philip said confidently.

            “History can’t be written by one person,” Theo told him. “I’m sure every man there had their own versions.”

            Philip idly swung next to her. “Sure, like we have our versions of our history.”

            “Our history?”

            “Who could forget the Battle of the Fourth Grade Spelling Bee?” He said in a dramatic voice.

            Theo couldn’t help but laugh. “When you tripped me up on the last word?”

            “Hey, I had a cold. I wasn’t doing it on purpose.”

            “And that’s history for you.”

            Philip stopped swinging and stood up. “You’re smart, d’you know that?” He asked and went to take the textbook from her.

            “Hey!” She protested.

            “You’re not like just book smart though.” Philip walked behind her and used the chains of the swing to pull her back and let go.

            Theo smiled to herself and allowed him to push her on the swing. “What kind of smart am I then?”

            “Philosophical. I would say poetic but that’s me. You think deeper than most people.” Philip answered and continued to push her higher.

            “Maybe because I’ve had you spitting rhymes at me for years. I had to have my own creative side.”

            “Sounds right.”

            Theo closed her eyes for a moment and just let the swing whisk her through the air. Every so often she’d feel Philip’s hands on her back, nudging her gently. She let her feet hang out in front of her as she felt the early spring sun on her face. After a bit she started to realize Philip hadn’t pushed her in a while. The swing started to lose momentum and suddenly she felt someone playfully tug on her ankle. She jolted and saw Philip slowing her down from the front now.

            Once the swing fell to almost a complete stop, he walked up to her and used one hand to tilt her chin up.

            Theo locked eyes with him. It was like she was sitting on a swing in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a soul around her aside from Philip. Time was meaningless and her mind didn’t offer any pressing thoughts. “You haven’t kissed me since the hallway.” She reminded him.

            “I was looking for another opportunity. Calculus didn’t seem like the appropriate time and then I was scared Frankie was going to murder me if I did it in the parking lot in front of her.”

            “She’ll warm up to you.”

            “I’ll keep sucking up to her.”

            “Yeah, you’re good at that.”

            Philip smirked. “Am I? Miss Teacher’s Pet?”

            “Jealous?”

            “Maybe a little. I wouldn’t mind stealing away some of your attention from them.”

            “Well, maybe this is your opportunity.”

            Philip seemed to agree and leaned down to kiss her.

            Theo found the angle awkward and stood up to deepen the kiss. It was one of the few times in her life when she found complete peace. Nothing was nagging at her to get done. Everything seemed tied up neatly for that moment. She only had that moment and Philip was there with her. All the awards and achievements she’d received over the years were totally meaningless. But Philip, he was real. He was flesh and blood. He was a complete being. He knew what it was like to hold something that people were envious of. He knew what it was like to dedicate hours to something that ended in a few minutes.

            But Theo hadn’t had to work for Philip. They just clicked. And the payoff was ten times better than any good grade or prize. It was eternal.

            “Yikes,” Philip said breathlessly when he pulled away.

            “What?” Theo looked a little embarrassed. “Bad?”

            “No…I just…I think I know what your math homework feels like now.” Philip said cheekily.

            Theo rolled her eyes. “I don’t put half the amount of effort into homework as I do kissing you.”

            “Your dad would not be happy to hear you say that.” Philip chuckled. “But does that mean I’m special?” He batted his eyes at her.

            “Well, I gave up studying to do this, right?”

            “Damn I’m important then,” Philip said triumphantly and kissed her again.


	11. Chapter 11

            “You remember your Uncle Laff, right?”

            “My French uncle who led part of the Revolutionary War? No…I don’t think so.”

            Alexander gave his eldest a look. “There’s no need to be sarcastic.”

            Angie and Philip exchanged sly smiles over their breakfast. “What about him?” Philip asked.

            “His friend’s daughter, is coming over from France as an exchange student.” Alexander explained. “It would mean a lot to your uncle if you took her under your wing and showed her around, make her feel welcome.”

            Philip vaguely pictured the girl he considered his cousin. She was tall, had long dark hair that she frequently had braided intricately. He recalled letting her braid his hair much to the delight of his siblings. He sighed. He was busy with several tests and essays but he wasn’t going to let down his father either. “Yeah, of course.”

            Victoire Lebourcier was loud, French, and incredibly well educated. She accredited it to being bilingual and well traveled.

            Theo hated her.

            But as her luck would have it, everyone seemed to be entranced by the new object imported from Paris. All the girls wanted to get to know her, invite her over to their houses, and get style advice from her. All the boys wanted to see what was under the French designer clothing.

            “Can you stop grinding your teeth? It’s disgusting.” Frances complained.

            “He’s been over there for hours.” Theo unclenched her teeth but kept her eyes narrowed and glaring at Victoire.

            “Uh-oh, someone’s jealous.” It wasn’t news to Frances though; Theo had been after blood for almost two weeks.

            “He canceled another date because Victoire wanted to see another movie with him.” Theo said.

            “I know, you called me last night.”

            “I wanted to see that movie with him. But _oh no_ , whatever Victoire wants she gets.”

            “Theo, just talk to him. Ranting to me won’t do you any good.”

            She went to reply to her friend but the teacher walked in and started class. Philip returned to his seat next to Theo. He smiled at her but she pretended not to see him.

            Georges plopped down in the seat in front of Theo, Philip, and Frances. He turned around and grinned. “How do they say hook up in French? Because you bet Victoire’s going to be saying that all night when we go out.”

            “She’s going to be saying hook up all night?” Frances raised an eyebrow at him.

            Georges cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’s right. Problem, Frankie?”

            “You’re both stupid and dumb.” Frances replied and rolled her eyes.

            “You’re not spending the night with her?” Theo asked with a scathing undertone in her voice.

            Philip didn’t pick up on the subtle note. “No, maybe we can hang out?” He offered.

            “Oh, I’m so blessed to have been your second choice.” Theo spat and pointedly turned away from him.

            Philip was startled by the remark and looked to his friend for air. Georges winced and looked to Frances who had also snubbed them and spun around in her seat to talk to another friend.

            “Theo…”

            “Quiet please!” Their teacher called over the chatter. “I’ve got your quizzes from last week to hand back. If you have any questions, come up and ask me.”

            She set a quiz on Theo’s desk as she passed by. At first, Theo thought it was a mistake, she’d been handed the wrong quiz. But then she read the name at the top, it was hers.

            _A seventy-eight?_

            The noise in the room started to fade into the background as her heartbeat pounded in her ears. It wasn’t possible. The last time Theo had gotten anything under an eighty-five, she was sick with the stomach flu and had almost fainted during the test. No…it…she had studied! Well, she had her book open while she and Philip talked and kissed in her room. _Philip_.

            The boy was smiling at Victoire as she showed him her quiz with a big one hundred percent written at the top.

            Theo felt like she was going to throw up. She got up suddenly and rushed out of the classroom, not even bothering to sign out. The only reason her grades were plummeting was Philip. He was distracting her and causing her to lose focus and study time. She ignored her father’s stern warnings about staying out. She thought she could keep up but he was blinding her. She kept walking until she came into the main lobby of the school. She looked up and saw the banner hanging above the doors. It was a list of all the past valedictorians. She saw red when she realized what Philip was doing. He was using wit to push her off the pedestal.

            Theo gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “Bring it on, Hamilton.” She snarled under her breath. “You’re going to be too embarrassed to show your face once the final grade goes in.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it fitting that I would make a little part dedicated to Aaron and Alexander on the anniversary of their duel. It's funny that they had no idea there would be future people writing fanfiction about their children hooking up. Oh, Lin, what have you created?

Uptown High School invites all parents and guardians to attend UHS Senior Night. Have the opportunity to view student work and meet the teachers.

July 11th

6-8 pm at UHS

 

            “Hamilton, I thought I detected you nearby.” Aaron walked up next to his bitter rival.

            “Burr, I thought I heard you shamelessly campaigning.” Alexander retorted.

            “I didn’t see any of your son’s work. You know some kids like to slack off during their senior year. It’s the measure of a weak mind.”

            “Philip has been nothing but hard working. I think they decided to put the less intelligent work out front and center. It makes the parents feel better about their kids.”

            “You really seem to think my Theodosia won’t be valedictorian?”

            “All I’m saying is you might want to warn her now that she’ll be lucky to achieve salutatorian.”

            “Salutatorian?” Aaron was aghast. “If Theodosia receives salutatorian it would only mean they abolished the valedictorian position. Your son won’t even come close.”

            “My Philip will be salutatorian when hell freezes over.”

            “He’d be so lucky to be second in the class.”

            Theodosia Burr and Eliza Hamilton were idly chatting about a PTA fundraiser when they started to hear the familiar sounds of their husbands making a scene. It was a reason why they weren’t allowed to interact at most school events. It was the fourth-grade play all over again when Alexander excused Aaron of coughing during Philip’s big line. Or the middle school sports awards when Aaron recalled that the only reason Philip beat Theo for track times was that Philip ran into Theo during their biggest race.

            And now it seemed they were going to pick up where they left off. Theodosia and Eliza weren’t about to let that happen though. They didn’t want their husbands threatening their PTA positions and their children’s reputation. The two women were quick to jump into the argument to pull their husbands apart.

            “Alright, Alexander, why don’t we find Philip’s poetry collection? His English teacher said it was in her room.”

            “Aaron, Theo wanted to show you something in the science wing.”

            But Alexander and Aaron weren’t having any of it. They continued to fight even as their wives shoved them away from each other.

            “I can’t wait to see your face at graduation when they announce Theo as valedictorian.”

            “Well bring a camera because I’m going to be laughing when she’s announced as salutatorian. Philip’s GPA can’t be beaten.”

            “You smug bastard, you’re so fortunate they outlawed duels, Hamilton. You’d be the first on my list to shoot.”

            “You’d be so lucky, Burr, may I remind you who brought this country to victory?”

            “Like you were leading the whole revolutionary army.” Aaron scoffed. “Your memory has failed you.”

            “My memory?”

            The two continued to kick off as parents and students gathered to watch and film a little of the standoff. Theo was watching from the sidelines, her arms crossed over her chest.

            Philip, who had been looking for her all night not knowing that she was avoiding him, finally caught up to her. He surveyed the scene, nothing was too surprising. Their fathers always fought when they were within a hundred feet of each other. He had other things to worry about. Theo had been ignoring him ever since Victoire had arrived. Being a typical teenage boy, he had no clue what was wrong. He wasn’t picking up on any of the signals Theo was giving him and it was starting to make him worried.

            “What set them off?” Philip asked. He smiled, still thinking that Theo cared for him. He figured they were just having an off time. They were out of sync for whatever reason.

            Theo barely glanced his way. “Oh, just my father telling him that I was going to be valedictorian.” She replied in a chilly voice.

            “Oh, that old one?” Philip chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be funny if neither of us got it?” He mused.

            Theo stared ahead. “That won’t be happening. I’m glad you’re coming to terms with that though.”

            “Coming to terms with what?” Philip looked confused.

            “That I’m going to be valedictorian and my grades are going to be so high that you won’t stand a chance. On graduation, you get to listen to my speech and you better believe I’m going to rub it in your smug face that I beat you.” Theo finally looked over at him. She had a deadly look in her eyes.

            Philip was stunned. He had no warning that she had done a complete one-eighty. “Are you joking?” He asked. He couldn’t tell but the look in her eyes made it seem like she was serious.

            “Get out of my way Hamilton, while you still can.” Theo snarled and went to follow her mom who had finally gotten Aaron to leave Alexander alone.

            “What…?” Philip was totally oblivious.

 

            A few days later, and Philip still had no answers. He searched for a reason why Theo had completely cut him off. He thought they were doing okay. He thought they had gotten over the rivalry their fathers set up for them. But suddenly, Theo was out for revenge.

            Philip was about to leave for track practice when a car sped into his neighborhood and screeched to a halt in front of his driveway. Confused, Philip got out of his car to see what was going on.

            “Hamilton!” Frances yelled as she stormed out of her car, slamming the door behind her.

            “Frances?”

            “I told you if you broke her heart I was going to fuck you up!” Frances growled and started towards him. “Get ready pretty boy, you’re going to need crutches at graduation.”

            Philip held his hands up as the small brunette wound up her arm to hit him. “I don’t know what the hell happened!”

            Frances paused. “What do you mean?” She asked skeptically.

            “I mean that one day everything was fine and another day she’s not talking to me at all. She went haywire on me at senior night. I don’t know what the hell I did!”

            Frances lowered her hand. “You’re really that stupid?”

            “Well, if it wasn’t obvious then I don’t think I’m stupid.”

            Frances rolled her eyes. “Typical, I should’ve realized you wouldn’t know. Think about it, genius, maybe it was because you ditched her for that French chick?”

            “Victoire?” Philip shook his head. “She’s a friend of Georges’ family.” He said. “I was just trying to make her feel welcome, she didn’t have any friends.”

            “And did you mention that to your girlfriend?” Frances put her hands on her hips.

            “No…I thought she understood.”

            “Oh my God, you boys are clueless. Theo was hurt!”

            Philip groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Why can’t girls just say what they’re thinking?”

            “Why can’t boys keep it in their pants?”

            “I didn’t do anything with her!” Philip defended himself. “I only care about Theo. I thought I made that obvious.”

            “Well, _obviously_ you didn’t.” Frances shot back.

            “Fine, it’s on me,” Philip said. “But now she won’t even talk to me. How am I supposed to tell her the truth when she won’t even look at me?”

            Frances shook her head. “That’s not my problem, Hamilton. That’s on you.”


	13. Chapter 13

           

            Angie prided herself in being nosy. She wasn’t a teenage girl for nothing. She liked being an expert on Instagram stalking, gossip, and delving into her older brother’s business. She claimed his business was also hers. So when she heard about the senior night drama, she was keen to offer a few words of advice.

            Philip was expecting this though. So when she walked in his room, he was quick to shut her down. “I don’t need your help, go away.” He said curtly.

            “Sure, push away the only teenage girl who is willing to give you relationship advice.” Angie rolled her eyes and took her spot on his bed. “What are you doing now?” She asked.

            “None of your business, I said go away.” Philip continued to furiously write in his notebook.

            “You’re writing her poems aren’t you?”

            Philip stopped, put his pen down, and turned around to look at her. “Why?” He asked.

            “Because you’re going to need more than a few poems to win back her trust.”

            “It has nothing to do with trust. It was just a misunderstanding.” Philip replied. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            “Oh contraire, that means bullshit in French.”

            “No it doesn’t.”

            “Well, you’re the one who was flirting with a French girl, so I’ll take your word for it.”

            “I wasn’t flirting with her!” Philip snapped. “I was trying to be nice. Can’t I talk to other girls?”

            “Yeah, but also you can’t blow off your girlfriend to hang out with another girl.” Angie told him. “Frances told me what you did.”

            “I invited Theo but she said…”

            “That she didn’t want to hang out with Victoire? Yeah, I’m pretty sure she was hoping to spend some alone time with you. Honestly, you’re so clueless.”

            “Frances already beat you to the punch. She made sure I was aware how stupid I was.” Philip replied. “Thanks for the reminder though, you two are _really_ helping.”

            “Look, if you keep trying to suck up to her, it’s going to make it worse. She doesn’t want your affection now. She wants to trust you.” Angie decided Frances had pulled him through the wringer already. It wasn’t fun to push him while he was already down.

            “Okay, and how, pray tell, do I do that?” Philip asked.

            “Well, for one, lose the attitude. That turns girls off. I think I know the perfect way to win her back.” Angie said proudly. “But you’re going to have to do everything I tell you.”

            Philip gave his sister a suspicious look. “I don’t know…”

            “If you want to keep writing love poems that Theo is just going to throw in your face, then be my guest. But I would take my advice now. She’s sort of really smart and really pretty. Girls like that don’t stay single for long.” Angie said just to make him jealous and eager to do what she said.

            “Fine.” Philip’s jaw tensed up at the idea of another boy flirting with Theo. Maybe that’s how she felt when he and Victoire were spending time with each other. He sighed and continued to feel guilty. He knew he had to make things right again.

           

            Philip felt stupid. But if he didn’t do everything Angie asked, she would threaten to stop helping all together. He wasn’t going to risk that. But he wasn’t too keen on the plan, because it landed him right on the Burr’s front step in a button down shirt and khakis. Angie made him pull his hair back and look absolutely perfect, according to her.

            His hands were shaking as he went to ring the doorbell. He hoped Theo didn’t answer. He knew she would just shut the door on his face. She had been merciless at school and wasn’t about to let him forget what he’d done.

            Thankfully, sort of, Aaron answered the door. He looked suspicious when he saw the eldest Hamilton standing there. “Yes?” He asked. He didn’t care for the boy one bit. Once Theo told both him and Theodosia, he was irate at the whole Hamilton clan. He made sure to be extra passive aggressive to Alexander whenever their paths crossed. That would show him.

            Philip cleared his throat and he did his best to look Aaron in the eyes, as Angie had instructed. But the strict man was terrifying to him. He instantly saw where Theo had gotten her cold side. “Sir…I uh, I wanted to talk to you about Theo.” He said trying to sound confident.

            “I’ve heard enough about what you did.” Aaron cut him off. “I don’t need to hear more from a boy who takes after his father.”

            Ouch. Philip wanted to argue that taking after Alexander would be a compliment, if only in the Hamilton household, but arguing was what got him there in the first place.

            As Aaron was telling Philip off, Theo was walking down the stairs. She stopped halfway when she heard her ex-boyfriend start to talk.

            “I wanted to apologize for my actions. Mr. Burr…I love your daughter.” Philip said. “We hid our relationship from you and my father because we were scared of what you both would say. But I want to be honest. I don’t want to take her for granted anymore and I certainly don’t want to lie about how I feel for her. I understand if she’ll never look my way again. But I don’t want our previous relationship to be something kept in the dark. I would tell everyone if I could. The time I spent with her was the best time I’ve ever had with someone else. All the years we spent trying to beat each other…I just want to forget about them. I only want to remember the times she and I got along. I know how much grades and accomplishments mean to us but…that’s nothing to me anymore. Her attention was the greatest thing I could have. But I screwed up so I deserve to have her walk away from me. I just wanted you to know.”

            Aaron was surprised. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a Hamilton, other than Eliza, set down their ego and be humble. “Well…I’ll be sure to pass along the message to Theo.” He said. “Thank you for being honest.”

            Philip nodded. “Thanks for listening. I…thank you.” He turned to go back to his car.

            Aaron shut the door and turned to see his daughter was sitting on the stairs. Her head was in her hands and she was crying quietly. He sighed softly and went to sit next to her. He wrapped an arm around her. “You really liked him, huh?”

            Theo sniffled and nodded. “Yes.” She said shakily.

            Aaron’s worst nightmare was Theo falling for Philip. He once had the dream when Theo was going into middle school. He woke up and told Theodosia about the terrifying vision. His wife only smiled tiredly.

            “You would be so lucky.”

            Years later, Aaron finally understood.


	14. Chapter 14

            It was Saturday and Philip was spending his time writing. It wasn’t a rare occurrence; he always carried around a notebook for such purpose. He and Angie had brought a few of their siblings to the park while Eliza had coffee with a friend next door.

            Angie had forced Philip out the door as he was still torn up about Theo. He had done everything his sister had instructed but there was still no word from her. He feared that talking to Aaron only made the situation worse. But Angie told him to just be patient.

            _Be patient_

            Philip wrote down the words in the notebook and stared at them. He felt such in a block, there weren’t any words coming to his head. So he started to make words out the ‘be patient’ written.

            _Bet_

_Pat_

_Tie_

_Bent_

_Paint_

            “Are you making a world puzzle for yourself?”

            Philip jumped. He looked up to see Theo standing over him. “Oh uh, no just trying to spark some creativity.” He answered. He wasn’t sure why he got instantly nervous when he saw her. Maybe he was just afraid of what she would say. “What are you doing here?” He knew Theo was an only child so he wasn’t expecting her to show up at the playground.

            “Angie told me you’d be here.” Theo held her purse close to her side. “Can I sit down?” She asked.

            Philip swallowed nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He said and moved over a little so she could sit down on the blanket he’d brought.

            Theo didn’t waste time. She didn’t want to make Philip uncomfortable. “So, I was there when you talked to my dad.” She told him.

            He looked over at her. “You were? Did you hear everything?” He tensed up almost immediately. He wasn’t sure he really wanted her to hear it. Of course he did, but deep down he was terrified that she would think he was foolish or desperate.

            Theo nodded. “Everything. And I uh…I wanted to say that I really appreciate it.” She said slowly. “What you did hurt me but…I know you didn’t mean it.”

            “I really didn’t, honestly I was just really clueless.” Philip said sheepishly. “But Angie and Frankie were both very helpful in letting me know what I’d done. And I promise I would never do that to you or anyone again.”

            Theo smiled and looked down. “I appreciate it, thank you.”

            He nodded and closed his notebook. “D’you hear back from Columbia yet?” He asked.

            “Yeah, you?”

            “Yep.”

            They both laughed nervously. “I’m assuming we both got in.” Theo smiled.

            “That’s what I was thinking.” Philip nodded. “That’s great, so we’ll get to see each other after graduation.”

            “Remember when we would’ve cringed at the thought?” Theo recalled with a smile.

            “Oh my God, when we found out we both wanted to go there…” Philip shook his head. “My dad nearly had a heart attack. He wasn’t sure he could take another four years of making sure I was the best.”

            “It’s funny how they stress themselves out about it yet they would never quit doing.”

            “I mean for their own physical and mental health they should take a spa day to relieve the stress of twelve years.”

            Theo giggled. “I think they would need a spa month to get rid of that much stress.”

            “I wouldn’t mind a spa month. The last week or so has been making me crazy.”

            Theo winced. “Was it my fault?”

            “Oh, no.” Philip shook his head. “Of course not. I was just…on top of the history research and the chemistry lab…and trying to find out how to win you back.”

            “So it was my fault.”

            “No. I put myself in that situation and besides; you were only a third of the problem. Or, maybe three-fourths.” He admitted. “I should have been focusing more on school but you’re more important.”

            “Well, I’m flattered.”

            Theo smiled and watched the Hamilton kids run wildly around the playground for a bit. “So, since we’re going to be around each other for the next four years, maybe we could make up?”

            “What? Did you say you wanted to make out?” Philip grinned and looked over at her.

            Theo shoved him and giggled. “You’re disgusting, you know what I said.”

            “Alright, alright, I guess I was merely implying that by making up you would eventually want to make out.”

            “I honestly forgot how ridiculous you were.”

            “Well, I just wanted to remind you up front.” Philip said. “Don’t worry though, since we’ve been apart, I’ve really matured.”

            Theo gave him a look. “Oh really? Is that so?”

            “Oh absolutely.” Philip grinned. “I meditate every morning now, I’ve joined a country club, so obviously I’ve been eating finer cuisine, you know, the places with raw everything and caviar. It’s great, I’m really exploring myself and my…aura?” He laughed and shook his head. “I have no idea what I’m talking about.”

            “Well it sounded nice.” Theo looked amused. “Does that mean you haven’t tried caviar?”

            Philip shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t feel comfortable ingesting something that’s like a million dollars.”

            Theo looked at him adoringly. “I missed you.”

            “I missed you too.” He replied genuinely.

            “So, as far as making up or making out I’m good with either or both.”

            “Great, I’ll tell Angie we have pressing matters to attend to.” Philip tucked his notebook under his arm and stood up. “Angie!” He called.            

            Angie looked back as she was pushing JC on the swings. “What?”

            “Tell mom I’ll be home later.” Philip replied and offered a hand to help Theo up. “Theo and I…”

            Angie saw Theo and made a face. “Alright, you don’t need to get into details, I understand.” She interrupted him. “Use protection!”

            “And we’re back to normal.”


	15. Chapter 15

 

            Aaron Burr was not going to spare expense on his daughter’s prom. It was a rite of passage and he believed she deserved being spoiled. He never imagined she would be attending prom with Philip Hamilton, however.

            “We’re back!” Theodosia called into the house. “Our little girl is all ready for prom.”

            Aaron looked up from the work on his desk. “That’s great, I booked the limo.” He nodded.

            Theodosia smiled at her husband. She was proud on how well he was handling their daughter dating a Hamilton. Of course, she had to remind him to breathe and not overreact to some things, like Theo staying out late with Philip, but for the most part, he was taking it in strides. “Thank you.” She leaned over the desk to kiss his forehead. She stuck a piece of paper under his hand as she did.

            “What’s this?” Aaron looked down at the slip.      

            “The receipt for Theo’s things.” Theodosia shrugged.

            “What?” He looked appalled when he read the total. “Theodosia, how can a dress and heels possibly cost…”

            “Daddy, look!” Theo ran in with the shoes. She was practically bouncing off the wall in excitement. “Aren’t they perfect? And they’re so comfortable. And Philip’s taller than me so I could get high ones!” She squealed. “I have to go text a picture of the dress to Philip and Frankie!” She ran off energetically.

            Aaron sighed and gave his wife a look. “Only because she’s grateful. I wouldn’t be paying this much if she was ungrateful.” He clarified and set the receipt aside.

            She shook her head. “You’re paying because she’s your princess and you want to see her happy.”

            “And I have the unfortunate situation that a Hamilton makes her happy along with a hundred and fifty dollar heels that she will wear once.”

            “But you’ll put up with it.”

            “Indeed, I suppose I will.”

 

            There were a few times in his life when Philip was knocked off his feet. The one time he forgot to tie his shoelaces and tripped during a track meet, having Angie push him down the stairs when they were only three and five, and when he tried playing soccer that one time. But nothing knocked him off his feet like Theo Burr.

            It was strange, being invited into the Burr house. It was a little less awkward because they were a lot more people around him, including his parents, Angie, and Georges. But it was still odd. It felt like he almost shouldn’t have been there.

            Aaron was being very courteous though and Theodosia engaged in some chat with him. So, it made him feel more at ease. Mostly he was just eager to see Theo. She sent him a picture of her dress so he could match and get flowers, but he wanted to see it in person.

            Georges wolf whistled when Frances and his date came downstairs. His date, a shy junior, giggled and blushed while Frances gave him a dirty look. More girls came down and made their way outside to take pictures. Philip waited and soon it was only himself in the front room by the stairs. He glanced behind him out the window as the group of prom goers laughed loudly about something.

            “Hey…”

            Philip turned around a little too soon and managed to knock into the coat rack by the front door. He lost his balance and fell backward.

            There was a faint giggle and Theo reached a hand out to help him.

            Philip held out his hand but stopped when he saw how gorgeous she looked. He was taken aback by how simple yet elegant she was in the burgundy dress that hugged her hips but flared out at the hem. “Holy shit…” He blurted.

            Theo looked embarrassed. “That bad?”

            “Bad? Th-Theo, you look like a model.” Philip stammered. “I knew you were pretty but…holy shit…” He tried to keep from staring too much.

            “It’s just a dress, silly.” Theo scolded and got him to his feet. “And by the way, I’m supposed to be the one who trips and falls.” She showed him her heels.

            Philip got a little weak at the knees when he saw her long legs and spindly heels. He cleared his throat. “Wow…well, I’ll uh try to keep you upright.” He said and started to feel a little hot under the collar of his dress shirt.

            “C’mon.” Theo didn’t seem to notice and tugged at his hand to go outside with her.

 

            Philip was in teenage boy heaven. He had an attractive prom date who he cared for and who cared for him. He had a good time with his friends, even though Frances took a few aims at his dance skills. But Philip treasured the moments with Theo more. He danced with her and felt like he was on a natural high. The feeling of the girl he cared for was in his arms. The tickle of her curls brushed against his cheeks as they swayed.

            Once prom was over, Theo and Philip went out to the limo. She peeked in the window.

            “The driver’s not here yet,” Theo said.

            “Door’s open,” Philip said and opened the back door.

            “Oh, well we can just wait for the others.” Theo said and stepped inside.

            Philip slid next to her and sighed. “Well, I’m all danced out.” He smiled and wrapped an arm around her. “Did you have fun?”

            “Yeah, it was everything I wanted,” Theo said honestly. She snuggled close to him. “You’re my Prince Charming and everything.” She giggled softly.

            “Good, because you’re my princess.” Philip kissed her forehead.

            Theo tilted her chin up to capture his lips with hers. They’d kissed properly more than enough times since getting back together. But it was a little more special on prom night.

            Philip shifted a little on the seat to deepen the kiss. He nearly jumped a little when he felt her practically straddle his lap. “Th…Theo?” He ran a hand through her hair, catching a few of the hairpins locked in the braids and curls.

            “Mhm?” Theo continued to kiss his cheeks and jawbone.

            Philip laughed nervously and felt his face heat up. He knew it wasn’t the place to make-out but his hormones were getting the best of him. Seeing Theo in the dress with the heels and how she was touching him was clouding his judgment. “Fuck…you’re something else.” He groaned.

            Theo laughed softly and nudged his chest so he was lying back. She moved over him and kissed him again.

            Philip wrapped his arms around her waist and felt his heart double in speed. He tightened his grip on her hips and sucked on her bottom lip.

            The door opened and Frances stuck her head in. “What? Stop, my eyes!” She yelled.

            Theo and Philip jumped apart. “Frank…” Theo sighed and covered her face in embarrassment.

            “You can do that behind closed doors,” Frances said and the rest of the limo group piled in. “Actually no, I don’t want you to get pregnant.”

            “Don’t worry, Frances, I won’t get pregnant,” Philip said just to tease her.

            “Funny, Hamilton, I’m serious.”

            Theo rested her cheek on Frances’s shoulder. “I’ll be baby free until I have a stable job and house.”

            Frances sighed and hugged her friend’s side. “Good. I’m not ready to be a godmother.”

            “Mhm, I know.”

            Philip smiled and rested a hand on Theo’s knee. He felt so satisfied with how the end of his senior year was ending up. He didn’t even think about valedictorian.


	16. Chapter 16

 

            Philip Hamilton was supposed to be out of the Burr household by eight every night. Officially, he was. He’d walked out the door after bidding Theodosia and Aaron a good night. But he was a teenager who was in love with a girl. So he pulled out of the driveway, went home, and waited the usual time it took for the Burrs to go to sleep. Then he walked through the neighborhood and cut through the thicket of trees to get to their backyard. He looked up to Theo’s window and looked to find a way up to her balcony. Eventually, he found a small ledge he could boost himself up and tried to lift up onto the balcony.

            But it looked easier than it seemed and Philip slipped. “Fuck…” He clung to the edge of the balcony railing as he tried to get his footing back.

            A moment later, Theo opened her window and looked down to see her boyfriend struggling. “Philip…is there a reason you’re hanging off my balcony?”

            “It’s a nice spot, you don’t do this often?”

            She rolled her eyes and helped him climb over the railing. “You’re so ridiculous sometimes.”

            “I know, I do crazy things for love.”

            Theo let him into her room and smiled. “You were at my house an hour ago, lover boy.”

            “Mhm, that’s true.” Philip shut the window. “But I didn’t get to kiss you like I wanted because your dad was standing at the door when I left.” He smirked.

            Theo’s cheeks went red. “Oh really? Does my dad scare you that much?” She teased.

            “Honestly, yes.” Philip rubbed the back of his neck. “And it’s totally not fair because my parents always leave us home alone when we’re at my place.”

            “Just means you have to work harder.”

            “I’m an idiot if I wouldn’t do anything for you.” Philip wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

            “Oh, so you’ll wash my car for me?” Theo rested a hand on his chest.

            “Done, I’ll even wear a tank top and short shorts. You can play Beyoncé, I’ll dance too.”

            “I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, what about coffee every morning for the rest of the year?”

            “Medium iced caramel macchiato, extra caramel.”

            “Back rubs after conditioning for track?”

            “Damn, are you sure that’s for your benefit or mine?” Philip couldn’t take it any longer and started to kiss her neck.

            Theo felt her knees go weak and she slung an arm around his neck. “Philip….” She breathed out softly.

            He nudged her back onto her bed gently as he continued to kiss down her collarbone. He was careful not to leave any marks. He was sure Aaron would hunt him down if he saw a hickey on his daughter that wasn’t there at dinner the night before.

            Theo tugged at his curls eliciting a needy moan from Philip. She captured his lips with hers and made sure she had him as close as possible.

            They had become pros at making out with each other. Being awkward teenagers they considered themselves pretty good at it. It always reached that point though.

            Theo felt Philip’s hand slip under her t-shirt. She allowed it until he got closer to her chest. It took a lot of willpower to bat his hand away. Of course, she wanted nothing more than to hand her virginity right over to Philip Hamilton. There was something about those crazy curls and freckles that shut off the reasonable part of her brain. The part that knew she should wait. But of course, it was still there in a sense. She just wanted to ignore it.

            Philip broke the kiss and groaned. “Sorry, sorry.” He put his hand back on her hip. “I know.”

            Theo touched his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

            He looked at her funny. “Why are you sorry?”

            “Because I…I don’t know. You want to do it and…”

            “So? Theo, it’s your decision. I’d be the biggest asshole on the planet if I forced you into something like that.”

            Theo looked into his eyes with a small smile. “Your mom taught you so well. You’re a real gentleman.” She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. “And it’s not like I don’t want to. You don’t think I’ve ever dreamed about that?”

            Philip looked surprised. “Uh…I didn’t think about it.”

            “Honestly? You know girls can think about sex too, we’re not all innocent prudes.” She gave him a look. “Besides, I have a loving boyfriend who is super hot.”

            He grinned. “I’m super hot?”

            “You’re also super irritating sometimes.”

            Philip pouted and buried his face in the crook of her neck, hiding in her curls. “Darn…”

            Theo giggled and rubbed his back softly. “But I love you.”

            “I love you too.” His voice was muffled and his breath tickled her ear lobe.

           She tangled her legs in with his and cuddled close to his side so she wasn’t pressing on his chest too much. She closed her eyes and listened to her boyfriend’s heartbeat.

            Philip smiled down at her, so happy to have her sleeping in his arms. He frequently visited her after ‘legal’ hours but he always left before midnight. “’Dosia…”

            “Mfm?”

            “You’re about to fall asleep, should I leave?” Philip swept aside a few curls from her forehead.

            “No…” Theo wrapped her arms tighter around him and burrowed her face further into his shoulder. “Stay.” She pled tiredly.

            “Are you sure? What if your dad…”

            “I’ll take the blame.” Theo didn’t open her eyes. “I want you to stay.”

            He smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. “Of course.” He murmured and reached to pull the covers over them both. He took a deep breath and inhaled Theo’s familiar scent. Coupled with her breathing and faint heartbeat, he was able to drift off faster than he usually did.

 

            The next morning, Theodosia opened her daughter’s bedroom door. “Theo…” She knocked on the doorframe. “You have a track meet, it’s time to get up…” from her position at the door, she could only see one lump in the bed. There was a noise of protest and some movement. “I know it’s Saturday but the school’s far, remember?” Theodosia walked into the room to open the curtains. That’s when she saw there were, in fact, two lumps in the bed. Philip Hamilton was in her daughter’s bed.

            Theo started to wake up first and immediately remembered Philip had stayed the night. She shot up and looked at her mother. “Mom…”

            “Philip, are you going to need a ride to the meet?” Theodosia asked.

            The teenager sat up and looked over at his girlfriend. In a way, he was very grateful Aaron hadn’t come in because Philip was sure he would be shot. But he couldn’t tell if Theodosia was angry or not. “Uh…”

            Theo looked just as caught in the headlights. “Mom, I…”

            “I don’t mind, I’m sure your mom is busy with your other siblings. I’d love to help her out.” Mrs. Burr smiled.

            “You’re not mad?” Theo asked.

            “About what?”

            “Well…”

            “You two are clothed and I trust you both.” Theodosia shrugged. “Should I be mad?”

            “Ma’am, I would never…”

            Theodosia smiled and shook her head. “I know, Philip. You’re a gentleman, that’s very obvious, darling.” She said gently. “But, you’re going to have to sneak out before Aaron comes down. What would you two like for breakfast?”

            “Uh…” Philip still looked a little startled.

            “Eggs?” Theo asked. She was so thankful her father was still asleep. She got up and started to get her track things together.

            “Philip, honey, why don’t you go grab your things at home and come back. Breakfast will be ready by then.” Theodosia smiled and left the room.

            Philip nodded and laughed a little nervously. “Your mom is super cool…”

            “No kidding, she has a better reaction than my dad would’ve.” Theo started to brush her hair and pull it back into a ponytail.

            “Yeah, I’m glad I’m still alive.” Philip chuckled and got up. “Alright, I’ll be back.” He kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

            “I love you too.” Theo smiled and blushed slightly. “I would run through, so my dad doesn’t catch you. Get some practice in for the meet because I’m going to kick your ass today, Hamilton.”

            Philip grinned and went to leave her room. “Hey, there’s no shame in being slower than me.”

            “Oh, actually there’s a perk to being slower than me.” Theo went up to him and kissed his lips quickly. “You get to watch my butt while I run.” She smirked and turned away.

            “You’ll be the death of me, Burr.” Philip groaned but laughed and went to run home.


	17. Chapter 17

            It was the last meet of the year for Uptown High’s track team, and it was an important one. Theo and Philip were both looking at qualifying for States and that was a pretty good ending to their senior track career.

 

            “Where were you last night, Pip?” Angie walked over to hand her brother a water bottle after he and the team ended their warm up.

            “None of your business,” Philip replied and took the water bottle.

            “This one is for your girlfriend. Mom felt bad Mrs. Burr drove you here.” Angie told him and handed him the extra bottle.

            “It’s fine, I was over there so it just made…” Philip trailed off.

            Angie gave him a grin. “Oh, so you _were_ over Theo’s house!” She looked very pleased.

            “Don’t you dare tell anyone,” Philip hissed. “I swear to God if you tell anyone, I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.”

            “Your threats are starting to get meaningless, brother dearest.” Angie sighed. “But I’ll keep it to myself for the meantime. I don’t feel like using it yet, I’ll just keep it as the knowledge I have against you.”

            Philip rolled his eyes. “Just go away, you’re messing up my mindset.” He turned to find Theo.

            She smiled as she ran up to him. “Hey, is that for me?”

            “Yeah, Angie brought it.” Philip gave her the water bottle. “You ready, Burr?” He asked with a smile.

            “Ready to kick your butt? Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good today.” Theo smiled. “Feeling fast? I want to beat you but I don’t want to go to States without you.”

            “Hey, even if I don’t qualify I’ll be there to support my fast girlfriend.” Philip grinned. It was the first time he didn’t talk trash to Theo. The year before they were almost down each other’s throats saying they didn’t want to see each other at States. It was weird how much things had changed in less than a year.

            Theo smiled and pecked his cheek. She heard their event being called and nodded for him to follow her. “Ready?”

            “As I’ll ever be.” Philip followed her to the starting line.

            “Run fast you two!” Eliza called from the stands. She was sitting with a few of her younger children and Mrs. Burr who was holding little Liza.

            “Make us proud!” Aaron and Alexander were sitting behind their wives and they seemed to be getting along. They had left the normal bickering and trash talking off the track. They had already gotten their energy out by fighting about politics on their walk to the field.

            The sun was shining; it seemed to be the perfect day. Philip had an extra spring in his step as he realized how well everything was working for him. He was with the girl of his dreams, he was going to the college of his dreams with said girl in the fall, their families were getting along, and he was about to win a race. Life was good.

            At the sound of the starter's pistol, the runners took off. Philip felt extremely fast, probably because of his good mood. He passed Theo who gave him a brief smile as she ran. Then she caught back up with him, only lagging behind another girl from another school. Then in a flash, Philip saw Theo trip over something. She gasped slightly and went tumbling forward.

            Philip froze and stopped right where he was. He didn’t hesitate in turning around and jogging back to where Theo had fallen.

            She got herself sitting up and clutching her knee, which was bleeding profusely. She glanced up and saw her boyfriend coming towards her.

            “Philip!” She exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing?”

            Philip knelt down. “Are you okay? Did you sprain your ankle?” He wasn’t even thinking about the race anymore.

            “I-I don’t know, why did you stop? You were going to win!” She urged in disbelief.

            “You fell, I wasn’t going to just leave you.” Philip pulled off his shirt to help stop the bleeding on her knee. He scooped her up and started to walk back to the bleachers.

            “Philip Hamilton…you…you idiot why would you give up your chance at States?” Theo was positively stunned. Normally, Philip wouldn’t let anything stop him from his dreams.

            “You’re more important than a stupid race. We’re both in college so it doesn’t really matter to me anymore.” Philip shrugged. “I want to be a good boyfriend, that’s what matters to me.”

            Theo felt tears in her eyes as she held onto him. “I didn’t want to ruin this for you…”

            “Sh, Theo, it’s okay,” Philip assured her softly.

            Aaron ran down from the bleachers, as they got closer. “What happened?” He was just as stunned as the rest of the parents. They knew Theo and Philip as the kids who would do anything possible to win.

            “I don’t know.” Theo whimpered.

            “Someone tripped her, I think it was the girl next to her,” Alexander said. He, Eliza, and Theodosia also came down to help.

            Philip got Theo to sit down on the bench by the track as the athletic trainer ran to their aid.

            “Does your ankle hurt, honey?” She knelt down to help take Theo’s sneaker off and see if her ankle was bruised.

            “Y-yes…” Theo felt pathetic but couldn’t help but cry.

            Philip sat next to her and gently wiped her tears away. “Her knee’s in bad shape too.” He said and pulled his shirt off to show the trainer.

            “Oh boy.” She grabbed some disinfectant and gauze to patch up the scrapes. “Don’t worry, we’re getting you ice for your ankle.”

            Theodosia sat on her daughter’s other side and gently stroked her hair. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It was just a race.” She soothed.

            “I don’t care about me, but I messed up Philip’s chance.” Theo sniffled.

            “I made the choice, ‘Dosia, it’s not your fault,” Philip said gently and reached for her hand.

            Well, Aaron was not about to let this slide. “Alexander, walk with me.” He said briskly and started to walk away.

            “Aaron?” Theodosia looked confused. Normally, Aaron would be trying to make sure his daughter was okay. “Where are you two going?”

            “We’ll be back soon,” Aaron promised and kept walking with Alexander. The fathers walked straight to the officials.

            Of course, these officials knew Mr. Burr and Mr. Hamilton _very_ well. Typically, the fathers would talk or yell at them about the meet and how it was unfair for one reason or another. But, it was strange because this time the fathers were on the same side of the debate. Usually, Aaron and Alexander were at each other’s throats about their children.

            “It’s obvious someone tripped my daughter,” Aaron said. “She doesn’t just trip over her own feet.”

            “There’s no evidence that it happened.” The official sighed. “No one saw it.”

            “I’m sure there’s a parent who filmed the race. We can go review the tape.” Alexander said strongly. “This is not going to be glossed over, not while we’re around.”

            “I assure you, we’ll do everything we can…”

            “Good, I’ll ask around for a video,” Aaron said firmly. He turned on his heel and Alexander followed.

            Somehow when they were on the same team they were less obnoxious and easier to handle. For everyone around them, including the parents who for almost four years watched them battle it out every meet. They both found it very calming too. Certainly, at their age, they didn't have the energy to raise their blood pressure like they used to when Philip and Theo were younger. In a way, it was like a truce between the two men, at least regarding their son and daughter. 

           

            Later on in the meet, Philip and Theo were watching their teammates from the same bench. She rested her foot on Philip’s thigh and he adjusted the ice on her ankle every so often, making sure it wasn’t on for more than thirty minutes.

            She was quiet for the most part, still ruminating over the idea that she had screwed up Philip’s last race.

            “Theo…” Philip glanced over at her. “Please don’t blame yourself.” He begged quietly.

            “It’s not about blame, Philip, it’s just…” She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “This was our last meet of high school. I guess I just thought we had more time this year.” She said. “But it went by so fast.”

            “That’s sort of a good thing though, right? It’ll be summer soon and then we’ll both be off to Columbia.” He smiled slightly.

            “I know but I can’t help feeling I wasted so much time.”

            He tilted his head to the side. “On what? Kissing me instead of studying?” He teased.

            That managed to get a smile out of Theo. “No, I would never take back any of those moments.” She murmured and looked back at him with her gorgeous dark brown eyes. “I don’t know what I think I’ve missed but I don’t feel like everything is complete.”

            “Well, we’ve still got a lot of senior things to do. We’ve got the harbor cruise, the picnic, and then we get to graduate. After we’ll have an awesome summer together with our friends, and we’ll go to orientation together…”

            “And all the guys at Columbia will try to flirt with me.” Theo teased.

            “And then I’ll make sure they never touch you because you’re still mine.” He smirked and went to kiss her hand.

            Theo smiled lovingly and nodded. “Of course.” She sighed softly.

            “We’ll be super close to home and Georges and Frankie won’t be too far away either.”

            She hummed softly. “Say more nice things.” She moved closer to him.

            Philip made sure her ankle was okay as she shifted over. “Okay, well I’m going to make sure you have coffee before all your morning classes, and we can study together in the library, and hopefully our roommates won’t mind if we decide to stay over with each other.”

            “That all sounds perfect to me.” Theo agreed warmly. “What else?”

            “Well…I’ll help you move in because I’m super strong, I might even be in some of your lectures, you never know, and when we get our own apartment we can get a pet, like a dog or something cute…”

            Theo listened intently, not even feeling the pain in her ankle or knee. She almost completely forgot about the race entirely. She was too focused on her future and the future she would share with Philip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure they separate girls and boys during track races but I don't know for sure because I hate running. So I'm using my creative license in this instance because I wanted some dramatic romantic moment.


	18. Chapter 18

            “Liza! Over here! James, stop giving your brother bunny ears. Alexander Jr, please smile nicely. Angelica, stop with that dabbing thing, that’s enough. Philip, please don’t encourage her.”

            Eliza Hamilton did her best to get her seven children to stand still and smile for one picture. After ten minutes she got the best she could get.

            “Okay, now just Theo and Philip.” She said.

            “Hey, we’re wearing the same thing.” Philip grinned when he saw his girlfriend in the same Uptown graduation robes.

            “I think I have one more honors cord than you…” Theo teased.

            “Hm…nope, we both have four.” Philip snatched one of the gold cords from around Theo’s neck. “Oops, now I have five and you have three.”

            “Philip Hamilton.” Eliza scolded from behind her phone. “Can you please act like an adult for five seconds and be nice to your girlfriend?”

            “Yeah Philip, act your age.” Theo raised an eyebrow and smirked. They both stood and smiled for a picture so Eliza would be satisfied.

            “Oh, well, well, well, Miss valedictorian is all high and mighty.” He quickly snatched her up in his arms and dipped her back.

            Theo squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Pip!”

            He laughed and kissed her cheek a few times. “I love you.” He reminded her as he gently set her down on her high heels.

            “I love you too.” She pecked his lips.

            “Students! Time to line up!” A teacher yelled and started to corral kids into a somewhat orderly line.

            Theo grabbed Philip’s hand to pull them towards the front.

            Georges, who had been elected the senior class president just based on his charisma, was already standing at the front of the line with Frances who was his reluctant class secretary.

            “Hey, if I knew we got those rad gold strings for good grades, I would’ve tried harder,” Georges said.

            “Oh, I’m sure.” Frances rolled her eyes. She smiled when she saw Philip and Theo. “Can you believe we finally made it?” She squealed. “I’m going to miss you guys so much.”

            “We have the whole summer to spend time together, Franks, you can spend every day with me if you want,” Philip said to play with her.

            “Oh, I’m going to miss you _terribly_ , Hamilton.” Frances sighed but smiled slightly.

 

            “And now your 2017 class president, Georges de Lafayette will say a few words.” The principal, Mr. Washington, announced.

            There was a loud cheer for the kid as he sauntered up to the podium. Georges grabbed the microphone and gave a flashy smile. “I knew I’d make it up here for something. I figured it wouldn’t be for grades so I guess I can thank my dad for my good looks.”

            There was a whistle from Lafayette, Hercules, John Laurens, and Alexander.

            Georges grinned. “It’s been a wild ride, for sure. My best friend of twelve years, Philip Hamilton, kept me in school and pretty much wrote my college apps for me. Thanks man. Theo Burr, you surprised us all for actually dating Philip. So, I sort of had to stick around to see how that would end up. And Frances Laurens, our gorgeous class secretary, she kept me on my toes. I love you, girl.” There was a small laugh but Georges didn’t look like he was joking. “No, like seriously. I’m a jokester but this is the first time I’m not joking. Frances Laurens, I think you’re a beautiful and super intelligent girl. I’m just lucky I got to spend some time with you.”

            Frances looked a little wide-eyed at the announcement. She looked at Theo and then stood up. She walked up the stage with purpose.

            Philip winced as he figured she was going to chew his best friend out. Instead, much to the surprise of everyone, Frances grabbed Georges by the shirt and kissed him.

            The students went a little crazy and Washington had to step in. “Okay, okay, thank you Georges. I’m pretty sure we were all expecting some spectacle from you.” He shooed the two away. “Next up is our class valedictorian, Theodosia Burr.”

            Theo stood up and smiled at Philip who gave her thumbs up. She walked up to the stage and stood in front of my microphone. “I uh…I’m usually better at schoolwork than speeches. My counterpart, Philip was always the better public speaker. I owe a lot of success to my parents. They kept me on the right track and always reaching for the stars. But I also owe a lot to Philip. For almost twelve years, Philip kept me striving for more. I wanted to beat him in literally everything we competed in. But this year I realized there was more to life than competing. I found that it was better to love and be compassionate to those around me. I love Uptown, I love the students, I love the teachers, I love my family, and I love Philip. They all gave me so much and helped me succeed. So, thank you. And I want to give this title to Philip instead. He earned it. Pip…” She looked over to the stands.

            Philip raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

            She nodded and waved him over.

            He finally did stand up and walked over to the stage. “Theo, you earned this.” He said.

            “Philip, you deserve it more.”

            He sighed and walked up to the microphone. “Theo is being modest, she deserves this more than anyone.”

            “Nope, that’s a lie. Philip worked harder…”

            “I didn’t actually…”

            “Philip…”

            “Theo…”

            Washington had to step in again. “Well, we already put Theo's name on the banner so she’s valedictorian. You also can’t give away the award because it’s about your GPA. I appreciate your modesty though.” He took the microphone away from them. “Please just sit down.” After having Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, their friends, and now all of their children in his school, Washington was seriously considering retirement. Especially after the speech debacles, retiring to Virginia with his wife sounded perfect to him.

           

            “Ladies and gentleman, the Uptown class of 2017.”

            Everyone cheered and the students threw their caps into the air. Theo leaned over to kiss Philip gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really have much else to write as far as a plot so I'm going to wrap it up. I'll have an epilogue after this chapter. Fun fact, I actually said what Georges did about the honors cords during my graduation.


	19. Chapter 19

           

_Uptown High_

_Class of 2017, 5 Year Reunion._

 

            Theo felt sick to her stomach as she walked into the country club’s ballroom. She tugged at the hem of her dress and winced. She hadn’t walked in heels in a good while. She was too busy with schoolwork to go out or go on dates.

            Of course, she was excited to see old friends. But going to the reunion meant she had to come face to face with her ex-boyfriend.

            After a big blowout freshman year at Columbia, Philip and Theo parted ways. Theo was miserable but instead of moving on, she just threw herself into work and school. She hardly went out with friends and instead studied late nights in the library. Now that she was in medical school, she had even less time to spend with friends or potential boyfriends.

            Theo didn’t want another boyfriend though. She couldn’t help but feel like she was missing a big chunk of her life.

 

            Georges walked next to Philip and nudged him. “Alright, I’ll bet a dollar on Rachel being super hot now.” He said.

            “A dollar?” His friend raised an eyebrow.

            “Uh well, I’m not going to bet you more. I have like twenty bucks in my bank account right now. I’m not exactly rolling in it, yet.” He added. Georges was convinced he was going to be the next social media entrepreneur. That remained to be seen though and he was still working as a temp at some law firm out in California.

            Philip chuckled and went to the front table to sign in.

            “Hey Philip.” The girl at the table smiled.

            He could not place her face with a name. “Oh, hey.” He nodded.

            “I heard you and Theo broke up.” She said blatantly.

            “Yeah, uh, a few years ago.” He nodded.

            “You should hit me up sometime.”

            “Yeah, maybe.” He said dully and moved away from the table.

            Philip scanned the crowd already in the ballroom. He was nervous to Theo. He wanted to see her but he didn’t at the same time. He wasn’t sure whether he was going to hide or go talk to her when he first saw her. He grabbed a drink to calm his nerves. He smiled and said hi to a few people he hadn’t seen in a while as he roved through the throng of students.

           

            Frances elbowed her friend roughly. “Curls at six o’clock.” She alerted.

            Theo felt her chest tighten as she saw Philip. “Fuck…” She grumbled and gulped down the rest of her drink.

            “Want backup?” Frances asked.

            She shook her head. “No, I’ve got this. You go find Georges. I’m sure he’s near Philip.”

            Frances smiled and nodded. It had been a few months since she saw her long time boyfriend. They managed the long distance thing pretty well. Georges was wrapped around her little finger and it showed. They planned to move to Los Angeles soon but they still needed to wait for Frances to find a job.

            It made Theo jealous. She always thought she and Philip were going to survive, not Frances and Georges. She tried to stay happy for her friend and not bitter, but it was difficult. She wanted what they had.

            Theo put her glass down and pushed through the crowd to approach Philip. She paused when she saw him talking to a girl that had been in their calculus class. He was smiling as they talked and looked genuinely interested.

            Philip glanced up and caught Theo staring at him. Their eyes met and she ducked away. Moving through the crowd, she went outside the ballroom to find a quiet spot. She always feared Philip had moved on from her. She wanted him to be happy but it was hard when she was still so hung up on him. She bit her tongue. She didn’t want to cry, she had spent so many nights crying over him.

            “Hey, you kind of walked away before I could say hi.”

            She hadn’t heard that voice in so long. The last time was three years ago when they were screaming at each other in the middle of the sidewalk. She couldn’t even remember what they were fighting about.

            She turned around and felt overwhelmed with a feeling of loss and guilt. “Sorry, I just…I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”

            He smiled but there was sadness in his eyes. He should’ve realized she would be as beautiful as ever. “How are you?”

            “Good, good.” Theo nodded stiffly. “I’m at Tufts now so I’m in Boston.”

            “Oh, yeah, Georges said Frances was visiting you there,” Philip said. “That’s great.”

            “Yeah…” Theo swallowed and rubbed her arm absent-mindedly. “I heard you got a book published.” She said. She didn’t tell him that she had in fact _bought_ and read the collection of poems.

            “Yeah, my dad pulled a few strings.” Philip shrugged. “I wish he just let me do it myself but he insisted.”

            “Well, it’s good.” Theo bit the inside of her cheek as she scoured her brain for idle conversation topics. She was terrified to land on the subject of their failed relationship.

            “I’m glad you’re doing well.” Philip said.

            The honesty in his voice made Theo want to burst into tears. She hadn’t forgotten how caring he was. “Thank you.” Her voice cracked a little.

            Philip dropped the act. He couldn’t pretend they were just casual acquaintances with no past history. “Theo…”

            “I don’t need you to say anything, Philip. It was my fault and I…I wish things hadn’t ended up the way they did but they did.” Theo blurted out. She had gone over what she would say to him when she got the chance. But standing in front of him, her composure was shattered and the words just surged forward.

            “It wasn’t your fault.” He shook his head and walked closer to her. “I’m sorry about everything that happened. You’re right, I wish things worked out too. I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn.”

            Theo blinked rapidly to keep from crying. “God…I didn’t think this would be so hard.” She laughed nervously.

            Philip sighed. “I know. Angie tried coaching me through what I would say but I guess I wasn’t listening.”

            Theo smiled at the mention of his sister. “She always knew how to make things better for us.” She remembered.

            “She really did. She’s going to be a social worker so she’s definitely in the right major.” He agreed.

            “That’s good. I wanted to reconnect with her but I wasn’t sure she would want to hear from me.”

            “Are you kidding? She would hardly speak to me when she found out we broke up. She was convinced it was my fault.” Philip said. “I think she was ready to drop me as a brother and adopt you as her older sister instead.”

            Theo smiled weakly. “Well, I don’t think she would be right. I was the bad guy…”

            “No…”

            “Philip, I just walked away from you,” Theo argued. “I didn’t make an attempt to talk it out with you.”

            “Neither did I.” He replied. “I guess we both made mistakes and that’s just how things worked out.” He said quietly.

            Theo looked down and couldn’t stop the tears from spilling over. She didn’t even think about her makeup running. “I miss you so much, Philip.” She whispered. “I feel like such an idiot for crawling back to you like this but…I’ve never felt the way you treated me.”

            Philip reached over to tilt her chin up. “Hey, I’m the idiot for not fighting for you. I was a coward who just gave up on the best thing in his life. I’m not going to do that again though.” He promised.

            Theo sniffled as she looked up at him. “I don’t deserve you.”

            “Nonsense, you’re the doctor-to-be, I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.” Philip smiled and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “I missed you too, Theo, so much. God, I would have these awful dreams about losing you over and over again. I never stopped thinking about you.” He admitted.

            “I never did either.”

            Philip gently ran a hand through her hair. He missed how soft her curls felt. He missed her big brown eyes and her very kissable lips. “Fuck, I missed you.”

            Theo didn’t waste anymore time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with every emotion she held for him over the last three years.

 

            Georges said he felt something in the air and knew they would end up together again. Frances said he was being an idiot. But he was right. Theo and Philip ended up together again. Philip moved to Boston while Theo completed medical school and her residency.

            After she joined a practice, she became pregnant with their first child. Philip proposed and they got married when Theo was seven months along. After their honeymoon, she gave birth to their son, Elias.

 

            One morning, while Elias was eating breakfast before heading to school, he looked over at his parents.

            “Isaac was saying his parents met on a safari in Africa.” He said.

            “That’s cool.” Philip nodded. “Were they taking a picture of the same giraffe?”

            His son laughed and shrugged. “I dunno. How did you two meet?” He wondered.

            Theo glanced over and smiled knowingly at his husband.

            “It’s a bit of a long story, bud.” Philip said. “How about tonight, instead of a story, mom and dad will tell you how we met?”

            Elias smiled and nodded. “Okay.” He stood up to grab his backpack.

            Philip stood up too and leaned over to kiss Theo’s forehead. “Have a good day at work.” He murmured.

            “I bet I can tell a better story than you.” She grinned mischievously.

            “Oh really?” Philip smirked. “Fat chance.”

            “You better not change any details. Like how _I_ was valedictorian, not you.”

            “Hey, you won that, no need to rub it in decades later.”

            “Alright, but I still did.”

            “You sure did, Burr, you sure did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sobs over my OTP* I just love them so much. But that's the end and I wanted to thank everyone for their support!


End file.
